I am a mother of two boys and avid reader; I practically live and breathe books. If I could sustain my life on just reading, I would live forever. I'm weird, and proud of it. I have traveled to many places: Mexico, St. Marteen, Prague, England, Cozumel, and Canada to name a few. Many moons ago I co-hosted "Welcome to Insanity" radio show on a micro radio station in TX- but our show was played via streaming internet in coffee houses in Amsterdam. I have a BA in theater. I used to be "the finder of lost things" but I think my last child robbed me of my gift. Now I just have a large collection of useless information... it goes with my growing mountain of "to be read" books

Well, isn't this a pickle? I have to admit, this book ended up being far different than I anticipated. I found the opening chapters to be dark and intense, but some unidentifiable thing just seemed off. The kind of stark intensity I think could have been taken to an '11' to really just make it start off with such a *BOOM* that the reader wouldn't stop from being entranced. While it was a kind of shock value that grabbed me (there was some vivid scenes that left me squirming), I wish it had moved a little faster or something during the beginning. It seemed a little different and set apart from the rest of the book.

I will say, I think I underestimated this book before I read it. I didn't anticipate how dark the horror was, or how funny the well-placed snark was. I was even taken by surprise with all the ways I thought this book would go, but then *presto chango* a whole different route than I expected.

I also found the underlying mythology to be unique compared to many books out there with the same theme. Bryan Dull really took vampires by the fangs and made them into something I haven't read before. That is really so refreshing to see someone take an age-old horror and put a new spin on it while still not glossing over the fact that they are, indeed, horrors and monsters.

My biggest reservations that lead to a 4♥ review, is the beginning scene, and the myriad of questions the reader are left with. I have to admit, those first pages were so shocking, and just downright bloody, I worried the entire book was going to be like the beginning. Initially, I put it down for a while, because I was worried about the entire book making me squirm while reading. I'm glad I was able to pick it back up and continue on.

So, if you like dark stories, vivid and sometimes bloody descriptions, vampires, and something just a little different, check this out. But please, continue past that first section to get a true taste of the book. It's definitely worth it.